From the maker of Xodularcomes Automatonism– a virtual modular synthesizer featuring 81 modules (version 2.0), dynamic preset management and advanced parameter mapping, all on an open source platform.

To showcase the instrument’s expansive capabilities, a 7-track album and tutorial video series, Synth Recipes, are available on this site. Automatonism runs in Pure Data, making it compatible with all major operating systems.

Automatonism is the name of both the software and the creative output of its developer, Johan Eriksson. A PhD student at Birmingham Conservatoire, UK, Eriksson works at the intersection of composition, performance and instrument design.

His first modular project, Xodular, arrived during a new wave of interest in modular synthesis and gained notable popularity for a freeware instrument. Automatonism builds on Xodular, adding more modules and features for greater performability and expressiveness, while also encouraging players to delve into the making of generative algorithms.